Background to this inspection
Updated
5 February 2022
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008
As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.
This inspection took place on 13 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.
Updated
5 February 2022
About the service
The Eyrie is a residential care home providing personal care to six people living with a learning disability and/or autism at the time of the inspection. It is operated by Walsingham Support, a charitable organisation that provides care and support to people living in England with a learning disability or autism. The home is a large house, similar to others in the village. It can accommodate up to six people who all have single rooms and share other communal areas.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe and, where they found it difficult to express themselves, we observed they were relaxed in their own home and interacted well with staff. Staff had received suitable training about protecting vulnerable adults. Accidents, incidents, complaints and concerns were responded to appropriately. People told us they had good support from staff. The registered manager kept staffing rosters under review as people's needs changed. Recruitment was suitably managed. New members of staff had been suitably vetted and inducted into the philosophy of care and the individual needs of people in the home.
Staff were appropriately trained and developed to give the best support possible. We met team members who understood people's needs and who had suitable training and experience in their roles. Staff had extensive knowledge of different disorders people were living with and were skilled in working with people's needs. Staff were enthusiastic and keen to develop in their roles and enhance the life experience of people. One staff member said, "[ A person in receipt of care] is very quiet and we have to be careful they are included. I am the key worker and slowly I am helping them to experience more things and go out into the community."
People saw their GP and health specialists. Very good planning was in place to support one person to have some surgical intervention. Staff took the advice of nurses and consultants. The staff team completed assessments of need with health professionals and with the learning disability teams. People were happy with the arrangements for medicines support. Medicines were suitably managed with people having reviews of their medicines on a regular basis. People were supported to get involved with preparing healthy meals and looking after their health. Preventative action was taken and people attended the surgery for check-ups.
We observed kind and patient support being provided. Staff supported people in a respectful way. They made sure confidentiality, privacy and dignity were maintained when delivering personal care and when assessing and responding to need. People had the support of advocates if necessary.
Risk assessments and care plans provided detailed guidance for staff in the home. People in the service, their social workers and relatives, where appropriate, had influenced the content. The registered manager had ensured the plans reflected the person-centred care that was being delivered. Staff could access specialists if people needed communication tools like Makaton or other sign languages. Staff worked with psychologists and psychiatrists when necessary.
People indicated that they enjoyed the activities and outings on offer. People went shopping, helped around the house, went out for meals and went to entertainments and activities, like swimming, social clubs and church.
The service had a registered manager who dealt with all aspects of the service. She was suitably skilled and experienced to manage the home. She consulted people and their representatives in a number of different ways. Staff told us they were very happy with the way the home was managed. People sought out the manager and had close relationships with her.
The provider had both internal and external ways to measure quality. The manager and staff monitored the quality of care delivery, staffing and the environment. The service also had quality inspections completed by senior officers of the organisation to ensure that quality care and services continued to be provided.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. The staff team were aware of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
The Secretary of State has asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to conduct a thematic review and to make recommendations about the use of restrictive interventions in settings that provide care for people with or who might have mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or autism. Thematic reviews look in-depth at specific issues concerning quality of care across the health and social care sectors. They expand our understanding of both good and poor practice and of the potential drivers of improvement.
As part of thematic review, we carried out a survey with the registered manager at this inspection. This considered whether the service used any restrictive intervention practices (restraint, seclusion and segregation) when supporting people.
The service used positive behaviour support principles to support people in the least restrictive way. No restrictive intervention practices were used.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection Good
The last rating for this service was Good insert date last report (published ).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.